Slytherins as jews WAS: Re: DH as Christian Allegory/I am...

[colebiancardi]

No: HPFGUIDX 173631

  
> Paula wrote:
> I'm Jewish with all of my grandparents/relatives and those before
> them from Eastern Europe - I never thought of Snape of Jewish as I do
> not think of "hook noses" of being exclusively Jewish.  We are also
> not dark...I'm very fair with red hair as is my mother, daughter and
> her son - certain mannerisms and names are clues for those of us that
> are Jewish because, perhaps this is something we have grown up with
 in our families as well as those of us who have relatives from the
"old country".  This is what is true for me.  That being said, I
> cannot for the life of me understand how anyone could ever see the
> Slytherins are being Jewish!  They were the Pure Bloods trying to
wipe out those that were night.  Clearly it was those that were
considered impure that were not acceptable.  Hitler = Voldemort.
> 
>

colebiancardi:

as many have pointed out, no one is stating that the Slyternins are
Jewish.  However, if you look at  propaganda from thru-out the ages,
not just in Hitler's era, the hook-nosed feature, as well as the other
characteristics mentioned, were attributed to Jews - this is a
historically given fact (not nice nor accurate, but there you have it
- stereotypes are ususually not nice or accurate).  I cannot help what
history shows us - just go back and read the description of Shylock
from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.  No one here is making that up.  

What I and others were pointing to was the historically given fact how
the Western World demonized Jews and gave them unsavory
characteristics.  Jews were put in roles of evil villians and
untrustworthy people.    All this prior to WWII.

I mentioned this all in post
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/173550

What I also mentioned is that JKR took the unsavority and inaccurate
stereotypes that were placed on Jews and made them Slytherin
characteristics.  And then she mixed in the Nazi credo of pure-bloodism.

Does that know make sense?  No one here is stating that Slytherins are
Jews.  But one cannot ignore historically given facts about
stereotypes of Jewish people and not see them being applied to
Slytherins in JKR's WW, as well as the Nazi metaphors.

colebiancardi
(no one here is trying to offend ANY races or religions - in fact, I
am disappointed that JKR didn't break thru those stereotypes and paint
a world that healed properly)